As most of you probably realize by now, I love birds -- especially parrots! One issue that always bothered me was how chain pet stores (in particular PetSmart and PetCo) emphasize responsible adoption of dogs and cats, while at the same time sell birds and small mammals from factory breeders (the bird and rodent equivelent of "puppymills"). I have yet to walk into a PetSmart or PetCo where the birds waiting for adoption look healthy and happy.

Well, love them or hate them, the always controversial PETA is on the case. No matter what your opinion of PETA is in general, this particular campaign of theirs is very important. It's quite simple. You sign a pledge that you will not shop at PetSmart (or PetCo or other chain store) until the sale of live animals has stopped and send a letter to PetSmart to let them know of your boycott. With enough people boycotting and enough negative exposure, they will stop this cruel practice on small animals, just as they already have on dogs and cats.

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I got the following email from Defenders of Wildlife the other day. It's about saving a small bird called the Red Knot. They had me at "bird." :-)

Take action! The Red Knot needs your help! From the email...

The red knot is a tiny shorebird that's struggling to survive. Please help me save these amazing birds by taking action at http://action.defenders.org/saveredknots.

In case you haven't noticed, I have a thing for birds. I just read this article on Yahoo (happened upon it by accident, like most things on the internets) about how a new avian species was just discovered. It's wonderful to read about new species being discovered when so many other species are going extinct every day.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080314/sc_nm/bird_indonesia_dc

In case you have not noticed, I love birds. They are so incredibly loving, kind, and emotional. They are beautiful and live in the moment. They are intelligent. They are barometers of the environment. They can tell us so much, if we just listen. We must protect them. We must save those who are already in danger. I try to emulate them. I feel they are closer to the truths of the universe than we are. The more my mind syncs with my feathered companions, the less disconnected I feel from our small world. If you don't have any personal experience with a bird, I highly recommend spending some time outdoors watching them. You will learn something.